PSCI 181 (Mill) 4-7 - “…Socrates dissatisfied is better...

Andrew Valenti4/7/08John Stuart Mill- On Liberty, Utilitarianism•Education is necessaryto the function of societyoPublic education, is not necessary, howevero(p. 118)oThere should be nationalizedtesting standardsin place•Social Contesto(p. 15) utility is the ultimate appealin debating optionsoUtility- the main concept of Utilitarianism, seeking utility•Jeremy BenthamoAuthor of idea of ‘utilitarianism’oRejected natural lawoMorality is defined by happinessoWhatever act pleases the most amount of people for the longest time is best•Mill’s UtilitarianismoQuality vs. Quantity- quality of happiness takes precedenceoChildren are blank slates•BackgroundoMill was given a very extensive education by his father, was doing high level math and sciences at an early ageoPolitically radicaloHad a nervous breakdown in his early 20’s, •Utility based on qualityoPleasures are better when they are mental, as compared to physical pleasureso(p. 140) “a human dissatisfied is better pig satisfied”

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Unformatted text preview: “…Socrates dissatisfied is better than a fool satisfied” o (p. 139) most people aren’t familiar to Mozart, but those who are, are adamant fans of him…but fans of Mariah Carey, for example, aren’t that big of a fan of her. A competent judge must have experienced both options of a choice in order to judge which is better. (Mill says that a competent judge would pick Mozart…) o Ex: slavery is good for the economy, but those who have experience both life with, and without, would not choose slavery • There is a tension between democratic access ( and choice) and an elitist conception based on a fear of what people will actually choose o Social nature (Ch. 3-4) o (p. 164) • Virtue is to be desired for itself alone, applies to society as a whole • Rule Utilitarianism o Rules give us useful guidance, and minimize unhappiness, and maximize happiness ....
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